Combined B.A./B.S. and M.P.P.

W&M undergraduate students are able to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Public Policy in five years. Candidates interested in this combined degree path must apply to and gain acceptance to the Public Policy Program in their junior year. Acceptance into the combined degree path includes the intention that the graduate committee will recommend regular admission to the graduate program when the baccalaureate degree has been conferred.

With advance written permission from the program’s graduate committee, up to nine graduate credits with a grade of C or higher taken by students in the B.A./B.S./M.P.P. combined degree path may be used to satisfy both graduate and undergraduate degree requirements. Students in the combined degree path will take additional graduate public policy classes during their fourth year; these classes will count exclusively toward the M.P.P. degree requirements.

Students may also earn up to 9 graduate credits through demonstrating competency in the following first-year M.P.P. classes: PUBP 601 - The Political Environment , PUBP 602 - Quantitative Methods I , and PUBP 603 - Quantitative Methods II . Competency will be demonstrated by passing the final exam of these courses with a grade of B or higher. Students who successfully demonstrate competency in these courses will receive course credit and a grade of P.

M.P.P. Degree Requirements

The Master of Public Policy degree program is a two-year, full-time, residential program requiring forty-nine hours of course credit.

The following core courses are required:

Course Requirements

PUBP 500 - Mathematics for Public Policy Analysis Credits: 1
PUBP 590 - Policy in Practice Credits: 1
PUBP 601 - The Political Environment Credits: 3
PUBP 602 - Quantitative Methods I Credits: 3
PUBP 603 - Quantitative Methods II Credits: 3
PUBP 604 - Microeconomics of Public Policy Credits: 3
PUBP 606 - Benefit-Cost Analysis Credits: 3
or PUBP 605 Macroeconomics for Public Policy and PUBP 651 International Development and Policy
PUBP 607 - Law and Public Policy Credits: 3
PUBP 609 - Ethics and Public Policy Credits: 3
PUBP 610 - Policy Research Seminar Credits: 3
PUBP 612 - Public Management and Organizational Behavior Credits: 3

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In addition to the core courses, students in the M.P.P. degree program are required to take at least one 3-credit or two 2-credit, program-approved, School of Law course(s). Additional elective courses must be taken to fulfill the 49 hour credit requirement. Students choose elective credits based around their chosen area of interest or develop an alternative set of courses developed with the consent of the Director. Areas of emphasis include education policy, environmental policy, health care policy, international trade, regulatory policy, and state and local policy.